Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Blair on the media

Anyone who's read this blog knows I'm no fan of Tony Blair at the best of times, but on this point - that the media hunts in a pack and acts like a "feral beast" (see here), I'm in full agreement with him.

Freedom of speech is something that is eroded if it's not treated with respect. Too many times the media gets away with half-truths and outright lies, undermining the whole concept of freedom of speech. Personally I believe if a newspaper or TV programme makes a major mistake and is forced to retract that mistake by way of apology or clarification, it should give equal footing to that concession (instead of burying it away on page 65 in small print as so many tabloids do). If you're going to rubbish someone's reputation, you'd better make damn sure you've got all the facts, and that those facts add up.

Unfortunately Blair will no doubt get attacked for this comment, but for my mind he's spot on to say it - especially as he concedes his first term in office played a large role in creating the media monster of the early 21st century.

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